Help me - losing motivation as not getting results ....

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I have been on 1200 calories a day and I know I have still had a few bad days where I have gone over this ( weekends ) and I have also been walking for 30mins a day, sometimes more. But it just does not want to budge. I need some motivation to keep this going , and getting down seeing very little results for my effort. I am still over 100 kgs , was hoping to at least get down to double digits by now.

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  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    It is easier to stay under calorie goal when you eat lots of vegetables: beans, broccoli, swiss chard, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, avocados, okra, cauliflower, bell peppers, snow peas, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, brussels sprouts, avocado, . .
    Keep walking. It can be a life saver.
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
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    i would consider re-calculating calorie allowance... 1200 is pretty low. i eat average 1800 and im losing at 81kg... its slow but its a loss... and mine is without working out just calorie counting... i still eat ice-cream and a biscuit :D
  • Fredbruin
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    It’s not going to happen fast. Stay with it. Your body gets used to living off 1200 calories, but as long as you drink a lot of water and do even a little walking, the weight will start to come off slowly -- about one to 1.5 pounds per week. Don’t give up. Better days ahead for you.
  • AZLisaLou
    AZLisaLou Posts: 240 Member
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    I was having a hard time with a plateau for a while. I was only eating about 1200 cal/day and wondering why I wasn't losing. Someone suggested to me, so I actually went UP on my calorie count to about 1400-1500/day and started losing again. For my weight (250lbs), less calories was less effective, maybe having something to do with starvation mode? I have no idea, but it worked for me. I got off track for a while and I'm starting over. My goal now is 1700 cal/day, but I've gone over that a little and still have lost several lbs this week. But I suppose everyone's body reacts differently.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    Lol
  • chaos416
    chaos416 Posts: 89 Member
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    Are the homemade entries in your diary your own creations? You must be cautious to use good entries from the database.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • SarahJohnson1234
    SarahJohnson1234 Posts: 23 Member
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    I know the feeling

    I bought a food diary to help me log foods. I've tried a few diaries and found an easy one to use 'food diary and exercise log by dr Joseph Reece'. The calorie counting diaries was a bit tricky to work out when being out and about so I used this one to quickly log foods. It has motivational quotes at the top of each page which is fun and keeps you going But everyone has different uses :)

    I find it helps me keep ontop of foods and I highlight junk food so I can flick through to see what I have eaten that's bad. The less highlighter I see, the better :)

    Good luck!!!!
  • tsthomas03
    tsthomas03 Posts: 23 Member
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    I'm so sorry you're struggling. One thing that has really helped me is a heart rate monitor to more accurately track my calories. I have a Polar FT4 and I love it. It helps me stay motivated to workout and burn more calories. Just a thought. you can feel free to add me, I log everyday and I love to comment on things and show support if you'd like.
  • mwcontois
    mwcontois Posts: 44 Member
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    AZLisaLou is right. The 1200 calorie benchmark they give on this site is too low, causing you to underload your calories and your body to slow its metabolic rate, reducing weight loss. I would bump your cals up to 1400 and maintain your exercise. Don't eat back the calories from exercise. This keep you way below the maintenance level while providing the basic level of calories for regular metabolic upkeep...then the exercise will ramp your metabolism up over time. It's called reverse dieting and you must do it if you have metabolic damage.

    Read this from TD Nation:
    Ever known anyone to do the Atkins diet and restrict their carbs to almost nothing? Ever known anyone who did HCG drops or severely restricted their calories? What happened to them? Did they lose weight? Most of them probably did. I bet the same number also felt horrible and started eating normally again after hitting a plateau. The problem is their body, in an effort to survive, made adjustments for the lack of calories and carbs and didn't have time to adjust when they suddenly reintroduced them. The result is metabolic damage and your bodies new ability at being very efficient at storing fat. Thank you fad diet! Most of, if not all, of these people you are now thinking of gained back more weight than when they started. It's a vicious cycle.
    So how do you know if you fit into this category? If you're a male and you get down to 1800 calories a day or you're a female and get down to 1200 calories a day and you are working out 5-6 days a week, eating healthy, and not losing weight, you have bottomed out! You have what we call a damaged metabolism. Yes you can continue to cut calories at that point and lose weight but you will only further destroy your metabolism. I will never advise any male to go below 1800 and will never advise any female to go below 1200 a day. There are other *kitten* coaches and trainers out there that will but that doesn't fly here. If you hit this point it is my recommendation that you reverse diet and we begin to very slowly add calories and carbs back to your diet. If you hit this point we have a long road ahead but I promise reverse dieting will be a better option than continuing to destroy your metabolism. Send me a message if you're at #5 and we will develop a plan to help you repair your metabolism.
    In the end don't let a couple weeks of no movement on the scale cause you to quit. Re-evaluate and make adjustments but don't let it have the power to cause you to quit. Also always take measurements or your body fat. The scale often does not tell the whole story. Take a step back, give yourself a pat on the back, and don't be too hard on yourself. Be proud of the steps you are taking to be better than you were yesterday. Lastly, remember why you're doing this. Think about being around for your children and your spouse. Think of how exercise helps your body function. How it helps brain function. How it helps reverse the aging process. Think of all the positives and use the number on the scale as simply a tool. Don't let it destroy everything you're working for. The keys are exercising with variety and intensity, tracking what you eat, and eating healthy at least 85% of the time.
  • mwcontois
    mwcontois Posts: 44 Member
    edited October 2014
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    TD Nation is a 90 day fitness group on facebook. It is free and works in conjunction with this app to help you in terms of coaching and support. Contact thegreatcanook on here for further info on joining this awesome support group. Free, and most people on there belong to this site...that's where how I found it. Lot's of resources there. You do need to create a free beachbody account but there is no obligation to buy anything and they do not even contact you...it is for the coach referral only...check it out. the greatcanook is on my friends list.
  • johnnyr24
    johnnyr24 Posts: 90 Member
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    Although it has been hard for me lately as well one thing that keeps me going is looking in the mirror and seeing the guy in the mirror and how much I hate how he looks and wanting to change it all. I can't speak for your personally if that would help but it keeps me going through my 1 hour workouts everyday. Do you have any friends you could reach out to in your community who maybe could help motivate you or even have one who would be willing to workout with you? I think this might be able to help some. Don't give up hope. I know I sometimes feel like giving up hope myself but I keep reminding myself that I can do it and get to where I need to be someday. Good luck to you wishing you all the best.
  • mwcontois
    mwcontois Posts: 44 Member
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    I like what Johnny said. The other thing to consider is that yo do have control over this is you want it. I am choosing to control my eating and dieting habits now while I can. I just had a friend's wife have a heart attack and die at 52, my age. If you don't take care of yourself now, you can get to the point of no return...remember that lifestyle changes in general are harder as you get older and your body is not as resilient as you age...what you do for yourself now will brighten your future....thinks those kinds of affirmations...BE POSITIVE...